Now that the Fight is Over
by Kent Vonce
Summary: A oneshot on the events between the end of the Shaman Fight and the heroes' eventual reunion in the Manga. Minor Spoilers. Posted as part of WendWriter's Story Challenge


**Now that the Fight is Over**

Asakura Yoh, Dao Lian a.k.a. Tao Ren, Horo Horo, Chocolove McDonwell, and Lyserg Diethel were the Elemental Warriors, epitomes of the elements that the Earth is made of. They were backed by their friends and by everyone that they had met. All of them helped to make them stronger, each in their own way.

They tried to battle Hao with pieces of the Great Spirit that had been aligned with them but Hao was infinitely stronger. All the people that Hao had killed somehow broke through the room he'd ceated for himself and Yoh in the Great Spirit and rattled him but even then, Hao couldn't be stopped. He would have tried to destroy their spirits. They'd been saved only by the appearance of Hao's mother who convinced him to give them a chance, and a chance was granted.

There was a promise Yoh left with Hao. They would change the world that had begun to shun the environment that Shamans once revered and respected. For that, Hao had given them a chance.

Hao had dropped them back on Earth after all that happened. It was a relief but Tao Ren found it anticlimactic.

"Humph. Figures. The real reason he dropped us back here is because he can't take us all on."

Horo Horo, always at odds with Ren's tough attitude, turned to stare at him with narrowed eyes and an expression that was meant to deflate one's ego.

"Dream on, Ren. You know we can't match him. He's the Shaman King!"

"Hide in your shell, if you want to."

"Who's hiding in his shell? Huh?"

Asakura Yoh remained oblivious to his friends' antics. He'd gotten used to them over the course of their journey. Every one of them trying to be Shaman King. He thought back to the events inside the Great Spirit, the root and end of all spirits. Hao had killed them all and took them inside. As the Shaman King, he had the Great Spirit as his spirit ally and could use his power at will.

"Big Brother Hao."

Chocolove, now blind after a battle during the Shaman Fight, walked over to Yoh and put an arm around him.

"What are you thinking about, Yoh?"

"Nothing really."

"Spacing out again?"

Yoh didn't answer. Chocolove shrugged and turned away. Yoh smiled and walked over to Ren and Horo Horo.

"That's enough guys."

Both boys stopped and looked at Yoh. He was smiling his smile. A smile that had no cares whatsoever.

"We have the world to change."

Everyone quieted down. "Wooden Sword" Ryu had been chatting away with Lyserg who seemed fine though he'd just been knocked about by Hao just like the rest of them. Anna, Yoh's fiance, came forward.

"Just how do you think you'll do that, Yoh?"

Yoh smiled again.

"_Everything will work out. Don't worry."_

The smile drew everybody in and calmed them down. Manta had been quiet all this time and now he drew closer to Yoh.

"Hey, Yoh. Is it over?"

Yoh looked down at the short boy. Manta was his best friend. He'd been with him through thick and thin. Now, Yoh was glad to see him at the end of the fight.

"Not yet. After today, the real thing's just beginning."

After many goodbyes and many discussions as to how they would change the world, they all parted their ways. They were going to find their futures and their dreams. They were ready to go on a journey that might never end.

* * *

Chocolove returned to San Francisco with his gang, Shaft. Now reformed, he'd turned himself in for the crimes he commited before he was turned around by the Indio man. He kept his dream. He practiced his comedy and polished it even in jail.

Lyserg went homeas well. He returned to England. He still wanted to become the world's finest dowser. Taking his crystal pendulum, he studied and practiced to become great detective like his father. He never lost sight of his goal and kept tried his best to change the world as was their promise.

Ren headed on home to China, back to his family. There was hate no longer, and so he later took over as head of the Tao family. He later married and had a son. He'd changed during the Shaman Fight and his dream had changed with him. He no longer wanted to destroy and became a very productive man.

Horo Horo returned to his homeland and set to work to fulfill his dream. To many, he knew his dream seemed worthless and low but he went on and began to plant butterbur leaves on a large field. He wanted to save the Koropokkur, nature spirits, and he knew that by restoring their habitat, he could do so. It was tiring work but he went ahead and did it.

Yoh later married Anna and had a son. Much of the time, he was away from home on his quest to change the world. It was a tough promise to keep but with his head held high, he trudged on with Anna beside him. It was always the same philosophy that kept him going. "Everything will work out."

* * *

Many times they looked towards the sky to remember the days of the Shaman Fight. They thought of enemies that later became their friends, of allies that fell in battle, and of the Shaman King. Still, they had a promise to keep and they moved forward.

Little by little they realized that they were tiny specks in the world. Almost inconsequential, it seemed, in the grander scheme. Discouraged, they would look down at their dreams, at what they were working on. They would lose sight of the future, of the journey they were on. They would begin to stray from the path that led them to that future. But whenever they hit their lowest, the same voice always lifted them up.

"_Don't give up guys. It'll work out."_

Then they would look forward to the future, to the glimmering horizon that was yet to be. They would return to their dreams with a newfound strength, an inspiration, and a ready heart. They were all doing their best to fulfill their dreams and to keep their promise. They had to believe it. They had to believe that everything would work out.

* * *

Their quest had only just begun.

It was not one of adventure.

It was one of finding out where the future will lead them. They knew not if they could fulfill the promise they'd made or if their dreams could be fulfilled in their lifetime. They only had to believe that everything would work out. They faced the future with determination and security.

It was somewhere along the way, that they'd realized that it was time. The journey was not done, the future was still shrouded in mystery, and the horizon had not been reached. Still, it was time to see each other again. When they did meet, they were still unsure, though determined, about their actions.

Was it really right to pursue that same path towards the future they so dreamed of? Uncharted territory lay in wait for them if they would continue on the same path. But was it worth it?

The answer came, late, like the person who said it.

"Everything will work out. That's what we said. And we have to believe that it will."


End file.
